The Beginning of the End
by Hatori No Miko
Summary: Eyes was irritated but intrigued when Kiyotaka forced him to take in a girl, whose resemblance to Kanone was uncanny. What is the girl's true connection to Kanone and the rest of the Blade Children?
1. I Farewell

Disclaimer: Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna manga and anime series belong to its respective owners. However, the OC - Yukina in this story is mine...so is Eyes -- (added as an afterthought) .

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Anyway, the time line of this story is set after the end of the manga, so it **might contain some spoilers**. One more thing I would like to add - I altered (or should I say added to) the plot, and now all the Blade Children are safe because Ayumu figured out a way to heal them. However, Ayumu himself is still suffering from the effects of being a clone. That's all you need to know for now Read on to find out.

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**Chapter I - Farewell**

In the near centre of a dense jungle, two cats could be seen gambolling playfully on a lush green lawn. One of the cats - the female one was white in colour, with fur so sleek that it looked like it had been brushed with extreme care every day. The other male cat, black in colour, was not so attractive in terms of appearance, but made up for it with speed and agility akin to a panther. Its jade green eyes sparkled in a way that was almost human as it chased the female cat around the garden.

Their owner sat in a wooden rocking chair on the patio, content just to watch the two cats play with each other. Together, the human and cats portrayed a peaceful scene, with no one and nothing to interrupt them. The only sounds that could be heard were the rustling of leaves caused by a gentle breeze, the meowing of the cats, and the occasional creak of the rocking chair.

The man on the rocking chair tensed as his ears picked up the sound of shoes trudging across fallen leaves. His hand reached for the dagger inside his pocket, tightened around the handle and let go of it when he saw who the visitor was. Silently, he chided himself for overreacting – of course, she was the only person who knew his location. Besides, his cats will bolt immediately if they sensed a foreign presence, making them really useful as a natural alarm.

"_Oto-sama_," the girl said in barely a whisper, and he saw her shook her head slightly as if to clear her own thoughts.

"I'm not old enough to be your father yet, Yukina-chan, especially when you consider our age difference," the man replied, a grin lighting up his handsome face.

The man found himself gazing into large brown eyes which mirrored his own, eyes which had the same slant, eyes which colour would change into amber when provoked. Deep down, he heaved a sigh – whether he liked it or not, his being Yukina's 'father' was a fact, true and unchangeable, although he was only five years older than her.

He saw a flicker of emotion run through her eyes, whether it was anger or sorrow, he couldn't tell, but it disappeared as abruptly as it came. He knew that it was years of training that enabled her to hide her emotions like he could, but normally she was frank and honest with him.

"Okay, okay, call me father if you want to," he held out his hands in a gesture of mock surrender, hoping to placate her by the statement.

The girl he called 'Yukina-chan' shook her head, looking more subdued than he had ever seen before. Gently, he patted her head, just like how a father would do to reassure his child.

"Can I…can I move and live with you here? Please?" the girl blurted out abruptly, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Why? Has Kiyotaka been treating you badly?" the man asked, his eyes narrowing as he thought of the numerous things he would do to Kiyotaka if it was true.

Again, she shook her head silently. The man also kept quiet, waiting patiently for her to explain. It was after a while before she spoke again.

"Kiyotaka wants to send me to England, to stay with someone else who is going to tutor me in playing the piano," she said in a calm voice. "That someone is, or was, your closest friend."

The man's eyes narrowed further as the meaning of her words sank in. So, Kiyotaka was going to send his daughter to another country, to stay with the person who had been like a brother to him, with whom he had not contacted since the day he was supposed to 'die'.

"What are his true intentions?" he wondered aloud.

"I can't be sure, but I suspect that Kiyotaka knows that you are alive…" the girl replied hesitatingly.

For a brief moment, their eyes met, and both were taken aback at the intense emotions they saw in each others' eyes.

"I can't be surprised, he's like a god after all," the man smiled wryly. "I should be thankful that he isn't charging up the path right now."

"If he knows your location, I will kill him," the girl said in a voice that was utterly flat and certain.

The man chuckled despite her serious tone. "There's no need for you to do that, Yukina-chan. I will just move to another place if he does know where I am."

"Why? Why won't you just let me stay here with you?" the girl pleaded, clutching his arms and looking straight into his eyes.

Gently, the man prised her fingers off his arms one by one.

"Unlike me, Yukina-chan, your hands are not stained with blood. You are pure and innocent, and you deserve a better life out in the world, not to be in hiding all of the time, worrying when will someone discover you," he said softly.

"But -" the man lifted a finger to her lips, silencing her.

"This is my wish, Yukina-chan. Think of it as my order to you as a father," his voice made it certain that he would not discuss the matter any further. In his heart, he knew that the girl really loved him as she would her father, if she had one. Besides, he knew how devoted the girl was to him, and she will never defy his orders.

"I will do what you want," the girl whispered. "It also means that I can't come to you for a long, long time," she continued, casting her eyes downwards. "Promise me that you will remain safe, _father_."

"I promise, I won't dare to die unless you allow me to, Yukina-chan," the man said solemnly, touching her hand.

Then, the man pulled the girl into a tight embrace, letting the action convey his emotions to her. Onlookers who did not know better might think that the pair was lovers embracing each other before a long separation, because only few can see and understand the true nature of love they had for each other. The man tenderly wiped away the tears on the girl's face with his thumb, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Take good care, my daughter," he whispered into her ear.

The girl stiffened, this being the first time he ever addressed her as his 'daughter'. More tears flowed down her face as she nodded and turned away, walking down the path she came here by, while the man looked at her trail, both wondering whether they would have another chance to meet in the hazy future. The man gazed on until she disappeared into the depths of the forest which managed to conceal his location effectively.

"Guess we have to keep each other company from now on, Iris, Rize," the man knelt down and ruffled the two cats' furs. Although he said so, he still remembered that even when she was in Japan, her visits had been few and far in between because of the surveillance Kiyotaka had over her. It was only during the times when Kiyotaka and Madoka were somewhere else that she had the chance to sneak here. She also needed to be extra careful; for fear that some people under Kiyotaka might notice her strange behaviour and tail her here.

The probability that she could come here after she went to England was almost zero, the man was sure of that. An unfathomable expression came over his face as he thought of Yukina living together with that man. Then, a wide grin spread on his face. Maybe, just maybe, he had made the correct decision by ordering Yukina to go to England after all. The two were so different in their personalities that it would certainly be interesting to have that man be her mentor in piano.

As the skies became darker, the man scooped up his cats in his arms and walked into his home, locking the door behind him. Before he slept, he glanced at two photographs he placed on the fireplace – one was of him and Yukina, while the other was of him and the man Yukina will soon live together with.

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A/N: It might be redundant, but just in case: _Oto-sama - 'Oto' means 'father' while the suffix '-sama' conveys a feeling of respect._

Anyway, if you have read the summary, and also watched the anime/read the manga before, I'm sure you know who is the man mentioned in the chapter above. Please read and review. Thank you very much!


	2. II Departure

I'm sorry for the long delay. Here's the second chapter ) Standard disclaimers apply.

**Chapter II – Departure**

"_Girl. Around 17 years old. Brown hair and eyes. Bringing her to you in two weeks. Will tell you the reason when we meet. Please make the necessary preparations."_

Eyes clenched his fists and almost snarled at the computer screen. What did Kiyotaka think he was? A babysitter? He stood up and paced around his room. Then, he sat down in front of the computer again and punched on the keyboard:

"_Received your message. It'd better be something worthwhile."_

He hit the 'enter' button with such a vengeance that anyone would have thought he had a grudge against the keyboard. Still, Eyes knew that Kiyotaka will not do something without a very good and valid reason behind it. Despite that, he could not help being annoyed at Kiyotaka, because the man will only explain his actions after everything was over. Everything.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kiyotaka saw his computer screen flashing. He read the reply from Eyes and smiled. Finally, Kiyotaka had the chance to put a conclusion to what he started. The girl, Yukina will be the key to lock all the open doors everyone had left from their pasts. Silently, he prayed that few, or if possible, none will be hurt in what he was about to do.

The handle of the door to Kiyotaka's study turned, and Kiyotaka looked up to see his wife walking in with a tray of biscuits in her hand.

"What are you smiling so happily for?" Madoka asked suspiciously, setting the tray down on the table.

"Nothing, I'm just glad to see you," Kiyotaka answered and switched off the computer.

Madoka sighed audibly. It had been six years since Kiyotaka came back after disappearing for such a long time. Furthermore, he returned bringing a mysterious teenager girl with him and asked her to take care of the girl. Despite how many times Madoka asked Kiyotaka, he would not give an answer on the girl's past, and where she came from. All Madoka knew of the girl was that her name was Yukina-Rei, she was a little younger than Ayumu, and that she came from the States. As far as teenagers went, she seemed quite normal, but to Madoka, she was behaving _too _normally for a person acquainted with Kiyotaka. Another thing which had been nagging Madoka's mind was Yukina's uncanny resemblance to Kanone Hilbert, a Blade Children who was already dead. From the information Madoka had on Kanone, he was the only child in his family, and he was way too young to have a child as old as Yukina.

Her thoughts were then interrupted when the door opened abruptly, and Yukina walked in, glaring furiously at Kiyotaka. She halted when she saw Madoka, smiled at her, and resumed glaring at Kiyotaka.

"What is going on here?" Madoka muttered. "All right, I will leave the two of you to fight it out. Tell me when you are finished."

After Madoka left the room, Kiyotaka grinned amiably at Yukina.

"Tell me what is bothering you, Yukina-chan," he said.

"Isn't it obvious enough?" Yukina growled. "Why the sudden decision to send me to England?"

"Oh, _that_. I think your piano skills will not be able to improve much if you continue staying here in Japan, and a talented pianist, who is a friend of mine agreed to accept you as his student," Kiyotaka replied. "Besides, I know that you love playing the piano very much, so why not? Or, do you have somebody in Japan that you are unwilling to leave?"

Although the girl hid her emotions quite well, Kiyotaka still saw the slight darkening of her eyes, as well as the tensing of her shoulders. A satisfied smile appeared on his face – it seems that his assumption was right. After Yukina went to England, hopefully he could find out Kanone's location and set off repairing all the errors he had done in the past.

"No, I don't. I just don't appreciate you making decisions for me without consulting my opinion first," Yukina retorted stonily and left the room.

Kiyotaka let out a big sigh. It would be nearly impossible to convince Yukina that he was doing what was best for her. Firstly, she was still unaccustomed towards living with Kiyotaka and Madoka, and now that she was settling in, she had to move somewhere again. Secondly, her nearly obsessive love towards the man she had to leave was troublesome. At times, Kiyotaka wondered whether his decision was the correct one, because however things turn out in the end, there surely would be somebody who was hurt. Now, he hoped that at least less people would be hurt this time.

Not even five minutes after Yukina's stormy exit, Madoka burst into Kiyotaka's study again.

"Are you saying that you will send Yukina-chan to stay with that Rutherford guy?" Madoka flared. "What in the world possessed you to make such a decision? The poor girl had just settled down, and you want to move her again?"

"Calm down, Madoka," Kiyotaka held up his hands. "You might not understand, but it's best for everyone if Yukina-chan doesn't remain in Japan…Anyway, did she tell you that?"

"I heard it while I was outside the room," Madoka's voice became dangerously low, "and don't think of changing the topic, Narumi Kiyotaka."

"I won't dare to, my dear. If I let Rutherford take care of Yukina-chan, then I will have more time to take care of Ayumu, isn't it so?" Kiyotaka said. "I have to find a cure for him in three years, or it will be too late…"

Madoka gaped at her husband. She had no idea that Kiyotaka was intent on curing his 'brother', Ayumu, as it seemed hopeless to her. Besides, using this reason to send Yukina away was too cruel, and she wondered how the girl might have felt. Since Kiyotaka and Madoka had no children, Yukina was the closest thing to a daughter Madoka might have. Consequently, Madoka was reluctant to let Yukina leave, especially on such short notice.

"Then, why did you bring Yukina-chan back in the first place? Won't it be better to send her off to Rutherford straight away? One more thing, can you explain why Yukina-chan looks so alike with Kanone Hilbert?" Madoka shot at Kiyotaka heatedly.

Kiyotaka stood up and held his wife's shoulders.

"I promise, I will explain _everything _to you after we send Yukina-chan to England," Kiyotaka whispered. "Everything."

For the next few days, Kiyotaka kept a close eye on Yukina, who conveniently did nothing out of the ordinary. He arranged for three plane tickets to England, with only two return tickets. On the other hand, Madoka was busy shopping for all the stuff she wanted to pack for Yukina to bring to England. The days passed in a flurry of activities, with Madoka rushing off to buy something that she had forgotten, while Kiyotaka monitored Yukina's every action. Most of the time, Yukina too was busy packing her luggage together with Madoka. When she was not doing that, she moped around the house with an unfathomable expression on her face.

The day before Yukina's departure, Kiyotaka brought her to the hospital where Ayumu was in. Both Madoka and Yukina were surprised, as Kiyotaka had never brought Yukina along while visiting Ayumu. On the way there, Yukina thought about what her father had told her of Ayumu. She knew that Ayumu was similar to her in more ways than one, with Ayumu being a clone of Kiyotaka. Therefore, she was more than eager to see this man, whom her father referred to as the saviour of the Blade Children.

As she walked into the ward, she saw a brown-haired guy, who looked so much like Kiyotaka that the similarity was startling. Apart from the fact that the man had shorter hair, everything from their features, to their behaviour and way of talking were the same.

"I assume this is the girl you have been telling me about, brother," Ayumu glanced at Kiyotaka, who nodded.

"Let me introduce you -" before Kiyotaka could continue, both Yukina and Ayumu cut him off at the same time.

"Ayumu-san, it is nice to meet you," Yukina stretched out her hand to Ayumu, who shook her hand warmly.

"I'm glad to be able to meet you too, Yukina," he replied.

Then, both of them shot a sharp glance simultaneously at Kiyotaka.

"I understand," Kiyotaka held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Come, my dear, the young ones need some privacy."

The couple disappeared from the room, and the atmosphere inside turned electric.

"I suppose you know the truth about me," Ayumu stated, and saw the girl nod.

"Same to you too," Yukina's lips quirked into a small smile. "But just to confirm, how much do you know about me?"

"Like how I'm related to my 'brother' outside there, you share the relation with Kanone Hilbert. Am I correct?" Ayumu replied noncommittally. "Does my sister know about you too?"

"You hit right on the spot, but Madoka-san doesn't know," her eyes flickered towards the doorway for an instant before she continued. "Do you know what are his intentions by sending me to England?"

"I can't say for sure, but I think he wants to keep you away from the person whom you call 'father'," Ayumu shrugged. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl deliberately trying to relax.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Ayumu-san. My father, no, Kanone Hilbert is already dead," Yukina said with such sincerity which could have deceived anyone, but not Kiyotaka and Ayumu.

"Well, if you say so," Ayumu shrugged again. "You know, lying on this bed is very boring."

Yukina blinked. Then, her eyes narrowed dangerously at Ayumu.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing especially. But I tend to think of many things when I'm bored, one of them being my brother's motive by sending you to England. Since I could not think of any other reason, Kanone Hilbert must still be alive," Ayumu gazed at Yukina. "Still, you don't need worry; I'm not going to help my brother sniff out your father's whereabouts."

Inwardly, Yukina heaved a sigh, as she knew from instinct that Ayumu was telling the truth. However, her face still remained impassive.

"Yukina, do you know something?" Ayumu broke the silence. "Although my brother might be a pain in the ass sometimes, he is actually trying to do the best for everyone."

Yukina raised an eyebrow at Ayumu, indicating him to continue.

"What I'm saying is, from experience, it's better to keep clones away from their parents, especially if the emotional bond between the two runs very deep."

"Why?" the single word came out in a whisper.

"Because the memories of the blood might awaken the inner demon inside the clone, causing them to turn into another person altogether, which will be violent and cruel," Ayumu saw the girl's features contract slightly in shock, no, sorrow was more like it. Still, he had to continue. "And once that happens, the clone will no more be in control of himself or herself, the violent personality will take over, and nobody can foretell what would happen. Did the person who told you my story also told you about Hizumi and his death?"

Yukina nodded silently.

"Then you should understand what I'm saying. If I were you, I would go to England, which would be best for everyone," Ayumu smiled at the girl. "Should you ever return to Japan, and if I'm still here, make sure you let me know how you are doing, okay?"

Yukina blinked again. Her face then broke into a smile which mirrored Ayumu's.

"Of course, Ayumu-san," she bowed. "Now, I'm sure Kiyotaka has many things to talk to you about."

Watching her leave the room, Ayumu smirked a little. She was a clever girl, her only flaw being her obsessive love for her father.

"Please don't interrupt my rest with stuff like this any more, brother," Ayumu glared at Kiyotaka, who cocked his head, trying to look innocent. "Don't underestimate her understanding of what is going on too."

"As she won't listen to me, and I'm not ready to let Madoka know, you are the only one I can rely on," Kiyotaka smiled. "Thanks to you, Yukina-chan might be more willing to leave for England without sniping and glaring at me every minute of the day."

"Even if she does that, I'm sure that you deserve it," Ayumu retorted. "Before I forget, I'm confirmed that Kanone Hilbert is still alive somewhere, but I have promised that I won't help you look for him."

"Is that so?" Kiyotaka sighed. "Fine, then. I will leave now and let you have a moment of peace."

"_Please_," Ayumu shot the word at the leaving figure. When Kiyotaka was out of sight, Ayumu shook his head and closed his eyes. He could almost see the merciless whirlpool of fate sucking all of them inside once more, and not letting them free until everything was over.

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The next chapter will be - Meeting. Please look forward to it. Comments/critiques are very welcome.


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